Elgin man charged in robbery spree in 2 suburbs

A man has been charged with robbing cash advance stores in Elgin and Aurora and is suspected in robberies in five other towns, police said Friday.

Fernando D. Zavala, 38, of the 200 block of North Gifford Street, was arrested June 22 by Aurora police as he was fleeing from a robbery at Check ‘n Go, 1276 N. Lake St., police said.

Store employees activated an alarm as an armed man demanded cash from register drawers and a safe, according to Aurora police. After the man learned the safe had a delayed opening, he ran from the store as police were arriving, and eventually was caught.

Police said officers found Zavala carrying a plastic toy gun and $1,070 in cash. After interviews, they also tied him to a similar robbery on Jan. 22 at a payday loan store in the 900 block of East New York Street, police said.

Elgin police, along with other area agencies, were called because of similar incidents in their towns.

Commander Glenn Theriault said Zavala is suspected in six robberies in Elgin, dating back to August 2011. They include four payday loan stores and two grocery stores throughout the city.

Zavala is charged with six counts of aggravated robbery in the Elgin cases and two counts each of robbery and aggravated robbery in the Aurora cases.

Aurora police say he faces charges in as many as five other towns – DeKalb, East Dundee, Hillside, Hoffman Estates and Streamwood. Zavala remains in Kane County jail, held on $1.2 million bail, and is due next in Kane County court July 13.